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Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. Leonard Cohen

Monday, June 3, 2013

For Our Daughters



Let them call us bitches, banshees
or even feminists!
Speak out!
Scream out!
or our daughters lose out 

Teach them
that their bodies are beautiful
as they are
They don’t need to be cut on, pumped up, or sucked out

Teach them
that they can say “no”
to anyone who tries to hurt them
lie to them
guilt them
into acquiescence

Teach them
about the people
who want to steal
their rights to their own bodies
and to keep fighting for what is theirs

Teach them
never to be complacent
or they will lose
what they thought couldn’t be lost

Teach them
not to hide their intelligence
even though it makes some men uncomfortable
It’s not their job
to make everyone feel comfortable

Teach them 
to stand up for powerless
to protect each other
to accept those who are different
to love whomever they want
but to love themselves first

Teach them
to keep speaking their truth
even if people say they are wrong
until they are heard

Teach them
to HOWL.



in honor of Allenn Ginsberg's birthday 6/3/1926


9 comments:

Brian Miller said...

claps.

i am absolutely devastated today by something the mom of one of my students did to her daughter...

as far the opposite of your words as you can get....

Crayotic Ramblings said...

Yes. Yes. YES.

...just yes. I am dumbfounded and at a loss for words.

Yes.

Kerry O'Connor said...

Amen, sister! Women should howl on behalf of other women,and their girl children, never forgetting the sons who are brought up by their mothers to respect women.
As Brian points out, too many women fall short in every regard, and that is a tragedy.

Fireblossom said...

HOOOOOOWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Helen said...

Go get 'em Mouse ... you tell 'em!!!

Pat Tillett said...

Awesome words! These are lessons every daughter should be taught. We have four of them and I think we did a pretty good job. I know they did a good job teaching each other.

Anonymous said...

This is absolutely awesome! Very inspiring. I am trying to raise my daughter to be a strong confident woman =)

Maude Lynn said...

Yes!

"It’s not their job
to make everyone feel comfortable"

Amen.

not displayed said...

I have no daughters, but if i did I would hope that I could teach them exactly this.
Bravo Miss Mouse